Meghna Gulzar’s Daayra has had a slow start at the domestic box office. The film, which marks the first big-screen collaboration between Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, collected an estimated Rs 90 lakh India net on Day 1, according to Sacnilk figures reported by multiple outlets. The film released on Friday, September 18, amid interest around its lead cast and Gulzar’s reputation for socially rooted stories. Early reports put its overall Hindi occupancy at around the low double digits, indicating that the film did not see a major opening-day rush.
The Day 1 figure also marks a notably modest theatrical start for Kareena, with Hindustan Times reporting that it is her lowest opening to date based on the available figures.
Daayra vs Vibe At The Box Office
Daayra arrived alongside another major Hindi release, Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe, starring Preity Zinta and Sparsh Shrivastava. According to Sacnilk estimates cited by Hindustan Times, Vibe collected around Rs 1.29 crore India net on its opening day, with approximately 12% overall occupancy. The film is Kemmu’s second directorial venture after Madgaon Express.
Both films therefore opened below the levels generally associated with major Bollywood releases, although their theatrical journeys will depend on weekend growth and audience response.
What Is Daayra About?
Directed by Meghna Gulzar, Daayra is a crime thriller centred on two senior police officers, played by Kareena and Prithviraj, who find themselves on opposing sides of a morally complicated case. The film deals with crime, policing, justice and the difficult choices faced by those involved in the system. The story also explores the question of whether justice can always be separated from personal morality.
The film was released in Hindi and Malayalam and deliberately takes a serious, issue-driven approach rather than following a conventional commercial format. With the first-day numbers remaining modest, Daayra will now look to the weekend to determine whether positive word of mouth can translate into stronger theatrical collections.